The Haut-Var region – with its oak hills, limestone soils and favourable climate – is renowned for its abundance of black truffles, the most precious and valuable of all truffles. From December to March, the village of Aups come together to celebrate the ‘black diamond’ harvest. Every Thursday morning, the fresh truffle market brings together farmers, producers and individuals, while the unmissable Truffle Festival will celebrate this local treasure all day on Sunday 28th January.
Truffle farming dates back to Antiquity, but it was in the 19th century that proper regulated truffle farming occurred. From 1870 to 1940, the village of Aups became one of the main markets for the ‘tuber melanosporum’ the black truffle, which is known for being particularly tasty and unusually hard to find, and has been cultivated here for generations. Oaks trees, particularly holm oaks, play a key role in the symbiosis with mycorrhizae, which in turn facilitate the growth of the truffle fungus. Out of a hundred trees planted, only half will produce these black truffles ten years later. Rooted in local culture, traditional truffle hunting with official truffle dogs takes place from December to March.
Having become a recognised sector of excellence, Var truffle farming was first organised around a worker’s union which created the Aups truffle market in 1971. Reserved for individually qualified farmers for many decades now, it is held every Thursday morning during the harvest season period. Framers and producers sell exclusively the first and second category of the truffle ‘tuber melanosporum’.
Aups celebrates the black truffle on Sunday 28th January
This is an essential ingredient for all food lovers. With a visit to the fresh truffle market, followed by a visit to the local truffle auction, and then a lesson in ‘cavage’ (the research, harvesting, and hunting of truffles), and finally a food tasting offered by the chefs of the International Club ‘Toques Blanches’ section of the Côte d’Azur – this truly is a delightfully thorough exploration of the black truffle!
